


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by dillonmania



Category: DCU (Comics), The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Happy, Holidays, Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-04 08:25:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dillonmania/pseuds/dillonmania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mick has something special planned for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Meinarch](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Meinarch).



> Set at the first Christmas after Rogue War. For [Mein](http://meinarch.tumblr.com/), as part of the 2013 Flashverse Secret Santa. Her request was "something with Mick and Christmas". Hope you like it!

It was Len who’d organized the December 24th heist; Mick suspected the man was looking for a distraction from the holidays, anything to forget what he’d lost. He always felt Lisa’s absence more keenly at times which emphasized family. Thus, despite the grumbling from the other Rogues, the group had a robbery planned in the afternoon before Christmas Day.

“Security will be minimal, `cause everyone’s on vacation,” Len had told the others when he’d first explained the scheme in mid-December. “Easy pickings, and the store will be flush with cash from the Christmas rush.”  
“Thank Heaven fur capitalism,” McCulloch cracked, and laughed drunkenly at his own joke.  
“I’m busy that day…I have something going on at six PM,” Mick objected quietly. The other Rogues all looked at him with sly amusement.  
“Got a hot date, huh? Don’t worry, we’ll be done by then,” Len said with a rare grin, and Mick just smiled.  
“Something like that. I guess it’s okay if I’m free by then,” he’d replied. The guys had given him some ribbing about the lucky lady and the joys of getting some at the holidays, and then gone back to the business at hand.

The day of the heist found Len grouchier than usual. He barked at James for wearing a silly reindeer sweater over his costume, and unleashed an angry rant when he discovered McCulloch had poured a small amount of rum into his eggnog. The guys were all starting to edge away to escape his temper, though Mick placed a gentle hand on his arm.  
“Len. Enough,” Mick said with a significant look. To Owen’s astonishment, their leader actually calmed down immediately, turning away with a noisy grunt.  
“It’s a fuckin’ Christmas miracle,” McCulloch muttered under his breath, though fortunately not loud enough for Len to hear. Mick frowned at him, a silent warning not to push his luck.

The Rogues headed out soon afterwards, slipping into the jewellery store via one of its shiny glass cases.  
“This is great!” Owen whooped when he saw all the merchandise laid out; even though it was almost Christmas, there was still plenty of stock. McCulloch scooped an armful of rings into a bag with experienced professionalism, while the others were a bit choosier. They took some time to select pieces of higher quality, not wanting to be weighed down with a lot of glittery junk jewellery.

But Len was unusually quiet and immobile, standing silently by a particular display case, and Mick went over to see what was wrong. He found Len staring at a necklace with a jewel-encrusted snowflake, and Mick knew his boss well enough to understand why that had attracted his attention.  
“She would have loved this,” Len said morosely, making no move to pick it up.  
“Yeah, she would have,” Mick agreed. “All the more reason to grab it. You can keep it for her, it’d be something to remember her by.”  
“Don’t know if I want those kinds of memories.”  
“You say that now, but you’ll be kicking yourself tomorrow if you don’t get it -- or one of the guys takes it first. Just slip it in your bag, and you can give it away if it really bothers you in the future. Besides, we shouldn’t stay here much longer.”  
Len pondered it silently for fifteen seconds, and then snatched up the necklace. “When you’re right, Mick, you’re right.”

“S-stop right there, gentlemen.”  
The Rogues turned around at the sound of an unfamiliar quavering voice, and saw a lone security guard pointing a gun at Len.  
“Haw!” McCulloch chortled, and in an instant he’d temporarily blinded the man with a localized mirror-flash.  
“Should I barbecue him..?” Mark asked with disinterest, possibly in an attempt to seem more threatening than he usually was.  
“Oh God, please don’t. It’s Christmas!” the guard begged, and Mick frowned at the obvious fear in his voice.  
“C’mon guys, not today. Drop the gun, buddy, and we’ll leave without any trouble.”  
Terrified, the man threw away his gun, and the Rogues finished up their activities. There was a not-insignificant amount of grumbling from the usual suspects, but Len agreed with Mick, and his word was law. So within a few minutes the thieves had gathered up their haul and gone out the way they’d arrived, leaving the trembling guard alone in a ransacked store.

“I wasn’t actually going to electrocute him unless he shot at us,” Mark said in a slightly miffed tone once they'd returned to the hideout. The guys had immediately poured out their ill-gotten gains for bragging purposes.  
“Shouldn’t say stuff like that unless you mean it,” Len rebuked him. “It’s bad for our rep.” He’d emptied his bag of loot just like the rest, but had slipped the snowflake necklace into his pocket before the others could see it. Mick knew about it, but he wanted the piece to be otherwise kept private.

The Rogues spent a few noisy hours drinking and playing cards, until Mick checked his watch and realized he was behind schedule.  
“All right, time for me to split,” he told the others genially, and McCulloch slapped him on the back with a boisterous laugh.  
“Huv a guid time, lad. Dinnae dae anything we wouldnae!”  
Mick grinned and assured them he wouldn’t, and left the hideout as they yelled some good-natured teasing after him. He walked a few blocks so the police couldn’t easily trace his movements back to their base, and then caught a cab downtown.

“Mick! I was getting worried you wouldn’t make it,” Hartley greeted him with obvious relief as the bald man slipped in through the shelter’s side door.  
“Hope I’m not too late; traffic was terrible. You’d think people would be off the streets right now,” Mick said as he donned the coat Hartley offered him.  
“They’re probably trying to get home, or maybe doing some last-minute shopping,” Hartley said with rolled eyes. “But you’re not late at all, and the important thing is that you’re here.”  
“Wouldn’t miss this,” Mick told him with a genuine smile, pulling on his boots. “Glad we could arrange it.”  
“You look great!” Hartley beamed, and handed over a heavy bag. He was so proud of his friend, even though the Rogue War had significantly changed the nature of their relationship. “Through that door. And thank you again.”

The children at the homeless shelter were so excited by the sudden appearance of Santa in the play area, who was followed by an elf in a green stocking cap. Their eyes shone with surprised delight, and their parents were thrilled to have some joy and normalcy in the children’s lives.  
“Ho ho ho, kids!” Mick boomed cheerfully as he strode into the room, the big sack slung tantalizingly over his shoulder. “Santa hears you’ve all been good this year!”

The children chattered excitedly as they clustered around Mick and Hartley, clamouring to receive candy canes from the green elf. But the evening’s fun was about to get even better.  
“I have a toy for each boy and girl!” Mick announced, his smile widening as he saw the absolute glee on the children’s faces. He was glad to bring some happiness to people who had so little, and as he’d told Hartley when he’d agreed to this months earlier, being a Rogue didn’t necessarily mean he was a bad man. Maybe he could convince some of the other guys to join him in the future.

“I love you, Santa,” a little girl declared tearfully as he gave her a wrapped gift, and she hugged him. At first Mick was unsure about how to respond, but he hugged her back tightly after a few moments’ thought.  
“I love you too, kid,” he said softly. “Santa wouldn’t forget about you or your friends.”  
The gratitude evident in her eyes made the whole experience feel more than worthwhile. He would definitely do this again next year.


End file.
